The design istory behind empire? please help..........?

Answer 1

The Victorian era saw the British monarchy elevated to unprecedented heights: at home, as the revered patrons of art and design, and abroad, as the civilising - if somewhat remote - figureheads of empire. From the foundations of this new and inspirational monarchy, Britain developed alternative ways of seeing both itself and the world. In all facets of life - the arts, sciences, work and education, technology and trade, home and play - the Victorian imagination provided the foundations upon which the modern world was built.New technology was the driving force behind the development of industry, transport systems and imperial expansion.Although she never travelled outside Europe, Queen Victoria took a personal interest in the expanding British Empire, and the wider world beyond. She was always concerned about the activities of her armies and her representatives overseas. She was fascinated by India, 'the jewel in the Crown' of Empire. Queen Victoria's vision of the world and her belief in Britain's role as a promoter of trade, civilisation and Christian values was shared by many of her subjects.India
In the early years of Victoria's reign, the British ruled India through the East India Company, developing trade, raising revenues and undertaking military campaigns to extend its power in the sub-Continent. In May 1857, a widespread Mutiny was provoked by the extension of British ideology. After the suppression of the Mutiny, British rule was taken over by the Crown, represented by a Viceroy, and the Queen promised to respect Indian customs. In 1876 she was proclaimed Empress of India.

Good shipping and telegraph connections, and growing numbers of administrators, merchants, tea planters and manufacturers ensured that many British families experienced life in India. With its British officers and Indian troops, the Indian army became an effective fighting force, widely used in campaigns in Afghanistan and parts of Africa. India became Britain's largest export market, and symbolised the extension of British rule across the world. Indian products, particularly tea, metalwork, woodwork and textiles, became increasingly available in Britain.

The Pacific
The white population of the Australian colonies was made up of transported convicts (until 1868) and free migrants. After the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851, migration greatly increased and the economies of all the Pacific colonies grew.

British emigrants encroached upon the original inhabitants. In New Zealand, the Maoris protested fiercely against the extension of British rule, and guerrilla warfare erupted periodically from the 1840s to the 1860s.

Despite opposition, British rule spread across the Pacific: to Fiji in 1874, Papua in 1884 and the Cook Islands in 1888. At every stage, the British influence was reinforced by administrators, missionaries, and entrepreneurs. They collected local examples of religious and domestic objects, which were then displayed in museums in Britain, but were not regarded as art. Instead, these objects were compared with those from other parts of the world, in order to explain the evolutionary development of different cultures.

Imperial Africa
The Victorians called Africa the 'Dark Continent', as large areas were unmapped, and its peoples were considered to be uncivilised.

The partition of Africa, and imposition of European rule, was one of the great preoccupations of the 1880s and 1890s. Ultimately the continent was divided up piecemeal, contributing to future instability. In West Africa, for example, the regions under British control - Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast and Nigeria - were isolated from each other and surrounded by French and German territories.

British interests in much of Africa concentrated on ivory, groundnuts, palm oil and later cocoa. British missionaries and administrators also continued in their attempts to eradicate the indigenous slave trade. In Southern Africa, the strategic importance of the Cape Colony was enhanced by the discovery of diamonds in the late 1860s, and vast gold reserves in the Boer republic of the Transvaal in the 1880s.

The Victorians fulfilled their global ambitions and satisfied the demands of their developing society through their command of technology. There were revolutions of many kinds, but most important was the establishment of modern concepts of time, communication and language. The application of steam power to railways and ships made travel reliable and accessible. New transport systems required accurate timetables, so time-keeping across Britain was regularised. The bicycle and the motor car also opened up the possibility of personal transport on a global scale. The electric telegraph enabled the successful expansion and management of the Empire. Telephone and radio technology reinforced the power of communication, which was underscored by recorded sound. The typewriter and mechanised printing techniques contributed to the dominance of the English language across the globe. Domestic and industrial life was radically improved by the provision of clean water, the building of drains and the supply of gas and electricity. Medicine was also transformed by the development of antiseptics and anaesthetics.

Answer 2

If you are referring to the Empire style of dress, it came about because fashion turned (as she always does) away from the rigid hoops and corsets and rich materials and excess decorations of the mid-18th century and towards what was seen as a purer, simpler style based on popular misconceptions of what Greek and Roman women wore in classical times.

It became known as Empire because it reached it's zenith in Paris during the reign of Napoleon.

Answer 3

Ere mate, if this is a omework project forget it. Why should I elp you get to university? My parents? Encouraged yes, but they didn't elp me with my omework.